The present invention relates to a system for overseeing the performance and history of impact and impact-rotary tools.
Pneumatically-powered impact and impact-rotary tools are employed for a variety of purposes. Examples are the use of rotary rock drills and demolition tools in mining and quarrying and the removal of asphalt and concrete surfaces to gain access to underground utilities such as gas, electric and water lines. In particular, hand operated pneumatic tools are employed extensively by the distribution utility industry in the installation repair and maintenace of underground or buried lines and mains.
Unless the tools are adequately lubricated and maintained their operating efficiency can fall off significantly from manufactured specifications. Lowered kinetic impact energy or impact rate extends the time required to open any given section of pavement. By accumulating data from numerous crews as to the time taken to break out a 2'.times.4' asphalt pavement and separately determining the operating efficiency of the tools as a percentage of the efficiency for an as-manufactured tool, it has been determined that a tool operating at 52% efficiency takes over twice as long to break out the 2'.times.4' section as a tool operating at close to peak efficiency (95%). Consequently, if the tools can be maintained at a close to top efficiency it will result in considerable saving of labor time and, therefore, money.
Various attempts have been made heretofore by others to measure the operating parameters of rotary and impact tools. Various United States patents describe test rigs for testing pneumatic impact tools in which the impact force generated by the tool is compared with the energy input to the tool. U.S. Pat. No. 842,136 describes a method of testing pneumatic tools in which tool efficiency is determined by measuring and comparing the work done with the energy consumed. The apparatus described in Pat. No. 1,375,604 compares the tool being tested against the performance of a standard tool by comparing the quantity of air consumed by each in a given time. Pat. No. 1,576,465 describes apparatus that measures the rotating speed of the tool when operating under a constant impact loading force as well as against a constantly loaded rotary means.
A chart recorder is used to produce a graphic record of the tool operation in Pat. No. 1,790,971. Pat. No. 2,047,193 shows a device in which a piston compresses an oil/air column to indicate the integrated impact force. The apparatus in Pat. No. 2,761,307 functions to test both the output pressure of a pneumatic jack and the rotation of the plunger. In Pat. No. 4,901,587 each test drill is compared to a standard. The parameters compared are number of pecks per cycle time, the drill travel per cycle time, and the rpm of the drill. However, none of the devices heretofore known is capable of providing a complete evaluation of any of a number of impact and rotary-impact tools, and none provides the total history of the selected tool.